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| Home Front: Politix |
| House Dems probe Health Insurance executive pay. Payback? |
| 2009-08-20 |
| H/T Drudge In a move some fear is a reprisal for opposing President Obama's health care plan, Democrats sent 52 letters to health insurers requesting financial records for a House committee's investigation. Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Bart Stupak, D-Mich., sent a letter warning health insurers that the House Energy and Commerce Committee is "examining executive compensation and other business practices of the health industry." Because Healthcare has so much to do with Energy and Commerce.... Waxman, chairman of the committee, and Stupak, chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee did not inform their Republican counterparts of their plans. We don't need those filthy repubs! We are the rulers now [and forever] Health insurers have until Sept. 4 to provide Congress a detailed list of every employee who made over a $1 million dollars a year between 2003 and 2008. Democrats also want documents about conferences and any events held off company property as well as the types of transportation, lodging, food, entertainment and even gifts exchanged. Raising the intimidation stakes: the Waxman letter offers insurers no explanation of what is being investigated or why. Maybe its because the government had to bailout the health Insurance industry.... oh wait.... Industry insiders fear the beginning of reprisals for anyone daring to dissent from the Obama agenda. Ya think? One said it feels like a reprisal audit by the IRS. Something the Clinton's are said to be very experienced in using. With raucous health care town halls unfolding nationwide during the August congressional recess and polls showing increased opposition to a government-run insurance program or "public option," neither Waxman nor Stupak nor their staffs would comment on this story. But it's no secret that Democrats blame anti-reform ads on the private health insurance industry and its supporters. Yes of course. The airways have been flooded by anti-Obamacare ads.. Zirkelbach said it would be up to individual companies to decide whether to turn the records over. Spokesmen for three large insurance companies, Aetna, UnitedHealth Group Inc. and WellPoint Inc., confirmed the firms had received the letters but declined comment. What Justification does the House have for probing the executive pay of insurance companies? They didn't need a bailout. They are not in financial straights. Yeah - let's allow them ti have direct control over your healthcare. |
| Posted by:CrazyFool |
| #15 "Nice insurance company you got. Shame if something happened to it". It's the Chicago way. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2009-08-20 18:25 |
| #14 I'd love to see one (or all) of those companies tell Waxman "NO". Just "NO". |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2009-08-20 17:04 |
| #13 IMHO state-chartered corporations are not exactly 'private sector.' Corporations were created by government & do not have inalienable rights like real people do. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2009-08-20 17:01 |
| #12 Sounds like Waxman and Stupak need to be visited in the dead of night by "three ghosts" - bent on increasing the ghost population. People like Waxman have no concept of "popular government" or "individual freedom and personal rights". He needs to be shown the door. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-08-20 15:16 |
| #11 To me this is just Red on Red. Both the pols and the execs are operating in environments in which they are pretty much immune to what should be operating checks and balances to behaviors. Each has manipulated their institutions to be in a place outside either the popular electorate or the stockholders reach. The longer they stay in, no matter how effective or ineffective, they may individually be, the system allows them to continue to reward themselves. Whether it's stacking the company Board or the Party selection machine, it's the same. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-08-20 13:55 |
| #10 What he (Percy) said. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2009-08-20 13:40 |
| #9 Private sector pay ain't non of your dam bidness... Kapish??? |
| Posted by: Percy Spons4194 2009-08-20 13:09 |
| #8 Did these naive executives expect any consideration for their accomadation with the government? I'm just reminded of the parable of the scorpion. "It is my nature to sting." |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2009-08-20 13:07 |
| #7 --- The courts have given the Feds huge discretion in regulating interstate commerce. Health care, if people haven't noticed, is a HUGE part of interstate commerce. The states set a lot of the rules on corporate structure, which is ultimately how the pay of corporate executives is determined. By default, corporations have more rights & privileges than human citizens of the USA - limited liability and immortality of just 2 of their advantages. So corporate executives are definitely more "equal" than the rest of us. --- There are a lot of economic, legal, and constitutional issues on the regulation of corporations to be brought to light, and IANAL. Personally I favor drastic restrictions on the amount of damage corporations are permitted, and the institution of a death penalty for corporations, e.g., do sufficient damage to the country, the offending corporation will be liquidated, and all compensation & capital gains it has paid will be clawed back to mend the damage. That said, this probe is obviously simply harassment & vindictiveness on the part of House Dems. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2009-08-20 12:48 |
| #6 Someone in the private sector needs to take a stand against government interference in business. A sign on my grandfathers desk says: "Keep the government out of business." |
| Posted by: bman 2009-08-20 12:28 |
| #5 What you said, 49. This is amazing. Corporate cowardice has been a factor in the cretinization and legal maiming of America - if these guys don't draw a line, it will mark a dark, deep new low. I keep wondering whether the lawlessness of the last 8 months, which has resembled Third World conditions in some respects, is not a factor in the equity markets. Of course "capital flight" requires somewhere to flee to. For now we're all in the position of Chinese officials investing their trade surplus - loathe to put another dime into the US, incl. Treasuries, really with little choice. Disgusting spectacle, and shameful performance by Americans. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2009-08-20 12:21 |
| #4 Health insurers have until Sept. 4 to provide Congress a detailed list of every employee who made over a $1 million dollars a year between 2003 and 2008. Democrats also want documents about conferences and any events held off company property as well as the types of transportation, lodging, food, entertainment and even gifts exchanged. This is fascism. Plain and simple. Why dont they just get the IRS records to start? Probably because there are laws against that. I hope and pray the insurance companies take this to court. Tie congress up and make these morons explain themselves. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-08-20 11:56 |
| #3 Ironically, the health insurers gave more money to the Dems last year than to the GOP. Money well pissed away. |
| Posted by: charger 2009-08-20 11:56 |
| #2 Oh, did I forget my /sarc tag? I don't remember. |
| Posted by: gorb 2009-08-20 11:47 |
| #1 I'm sure if the Dems were actually aware of what this meant they would be against it. |
| Posted by: gorb 2009-08-20 11:47 |